Energy Envelope Can Guide Therapy

This group at DePaul University led by Leonard Jason, PhD, has several publications describing the assessment of available and expended energy in ME/CFS patients and recommending that activity be guided by an ongoing assessment of both. They have termed this approach the “energy envelope.” The latest paper reports on a study of 44 ME/CFS patients. Available and expended energy was rated before beginning a nonpharmacological treatment program. Those who started the program ”within” their energy envelope had more improvement in physicial functioning and fatigue levels compared to those who started the program in an energy deficit. The authors suggest this assessment can help guide individualized approaches to therapy. A blog post about this study and the energy envelope was posted on May 29, 2011. (Journal of Clinical Psychology, Mar. 2011)